The Ties That Bind
by AceTrainer9642
Summary: Firstly, this is AU, about me as a half-blood. Secondly, some Victorious characters are half-bloods too. Thirdly, this has an actual QUEST! Fourthly, BiancaxOC, the usual PJO couplings, and my interesting OCxPJO/OCxVIC couplings. Lastly, SPOILERS for TLO.
1. I Lose My Chance: A

**The Ties that Bind**

**By Ace Trainer**

**Hiya! This is my first crossover story! Just so you know, this story bridges off of my cancelled version of Titan's Curse and Last Olympian, in which my character Aaron Branford stops Kronos, returns Bianca di Angelo to life, and begins a relationship with her. Oh, and Luke didn't die (you'll see how soon). Hope you enjoy it!**

**The first couple chapters will be through Aaron's POV, then some from Tori's, then back to Aaron.**

**(chapter 1: I Lose My Chance/A)**

_I can't believe it's been over a year…I'm 16 now. Everything's been going well since…that day…I've never felt that kind of fear. Kronos was powerful…_

"Percy! Throw Luke the knife!" I said, bursting into the throne room.

"Can we trust him?" Percy asked, confused.

"Of course! I know what I'm doing! Me and Nico planned this!"

Percy stood there with a surprised look in his eyes, then sighed and tossed the knife out to Luke.

Luke wrested control of his body from Kronos, and smiled at Percy. Weakly, he said, "Thank you, Percy Jackson." He tore off some of his armor, and stabbed himself in the side. Unholy howls escaped from his lips, as he toppled over.

It was then that I reached out for him, dragging the evil out of his body, just as I had planned. Kronos stood in a human form before us, holding his staff with a menacing glare scrawled across his brow.

"Percy, take Annabeth and leave the room!" I warned. "No matter how powerful you are, you can't withstand what's about to happen! Wait outside!" He did as asked and ran. I scattered some more powerful Mist throughout the area, and made sure Luke was unconscious, but alive. Then, taking hold of my lance, I said to the Titan lord, "You shall regret the day you gained me as an enemy, Kronos. I will never forgive you for causing the death of my love."

"Bah! I had nothing to do with that!" Kronos smirked. "She died of her own accord. You have no reason to-"

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT BULL!" I shouted. "I'LL NEVER JOIN YOU, OR ANY OTHER ARMY, OTHER THAN THAT OF MY FATHER, AND HIS FATHER!"

"Don't you see? They abandoned you!"

"If I were you, I'd choose more honorable last words, swine. At least try and die with some honor."

"You say that as if you stand a chance, little boy," he scowled.

"You say that as if you stand a chance, old man," I grinned.

And we charged.

*BROTHER*

I sat in the shade of Thalia's tree as I snapped back to the present. Killing Kronos was a major achievement for me, but that was then and this is now. I had a date with Bianca.

Bianca came back shortly after my sacrifice. Yeah, you heard me. I died. I managed to suppress Kronos bit by bit until I could absorb him into my body, and then I had Percy kill me. A soul for a soul. As soon as she returned, however, Bianca went to her boss (my aunt, Artemis) and asked to leave because she was in love with me. So now we're dating.

But wait, you don't even know who I am. Sorry about that. I'm Aaron Branford, son of Apollo, once killed, and some call me Aaron Titansbane. I like to call myself the Hero of Time, but I digress. Back in the winter of my 13th year, I helped Grover Underwood find the di Angelo children, Bianca and Nico, but you know them, as well as their story. Or at least most of it.

Once Bianca died, Nico and I both separately decided to bring her back. Nico simply struck off on his own, while I bided my time, plotting the perfect way to resurrect her. Because I knew everything that would happen, being a son of the god of prophecies. I told Nico to tell Percy about the River Styx, and caused most of the events of the 16th Year War, as we call it. I saved Luke, beat Kronos, died, brought back Bianca, and resurrected myself. Returning to camp, I found Bianca in love with me, so we started dating.

Anywho, on this particular day, I was expecting a wonderful date with Bianca. We were going to see Iron Man 2, for the second time, and then off to a nice dinner provided by my dad.

Boy, was I shocked about what really happened.

I caught up to Bianca after a while. "Hey, baby. Ready to go?"

She had a rather sad look on her face. "About that, Aaron…I need to talk to you."

"Okay, what is it?"

"I think…I need to break up with you."

When that was said, I'm pretty sure all the color drained out of my face. I stuttered for a little while, then said, "What do you mean?"

"Thalia said that at the summer solstice, she heard they were talking about making you a god, Aaron." She said the word 'god' as though she were speaking of Justin Beiber. At least, that's the way I speak of Justin Beiber. Anyway, she growled a bit when she said 'god.'

"And how is that bad?"

"I just know it wouldn't work out. I'm sorry, but it wouldn't." She looked at her feet as she said that. I gently grabbed her face and turned it back towards me.

"If we're in love, then it'll definitely work out." I blinked for a second, and then quoted my favorite movie series of all time, Back to the Future. "If you put your mind to it, Bianca, you can accomplish anything. I beat Kronos, didn't I?"

"That's exactly why they want to make you a god. They're thinking of kicking Dionysus off the 12. You'd get his cabin."

"I don't want his cabin, Bianca. All I want is you." At that moment, I kissed her. Our lips sang a joyous opera, and we were enchanted by it. When we finally parted, I said, "Don't leave, Bianca. I love you, and I know you love me."

She stood up and said, "I'm sorry." Fighting back tears, she ran for her cabin. I was left alone. I knew exactly what I needed to say, but I didn't manage to. Fighting back tears of my own, I went back to cabin 7 and cried myself to sleep.

*brother*

The dream came during what I believe to be the time when everyone was having dinner.

I saw myself at the point where I had defeated Kronos. My dream self was standing over Luke with an incredible gold light surrounding him. I was in the process of absorbing Kronos into myself. Past-Me yelled for Percy, who entered momentarily.

"Percy…kill me now."

Percy was in awe at those words. "What the heck are you saying? You want to die?"

"Percy, if I die while I have Kronos' soul in my own, he'll never escape!"

"But you'll be dead!"

Past-Me yelled in pain as the light started to grow. "You have to do it! I've made the necessary preparations! This is the choice you have to make! The choice in the prophecy!"

When Percy heard that, his resolve clearly grew. He uncapped Riptide, and stabbed me in the heart. The unholy howls of Kronos were once again heard as we both faded.

"Percy…tell Nico…Phase 4 is done…"

And I closed my eyes as they, along with the rest of my body, stiffened and grew pale. The two souls leaving the body sped up the death process, and the rigor/livor mortis engaged almost immediately.

Then, I saw something only Percy and the barely-conscious-at-the-time Luke had seen before. A great cobalt light with streaks of bright yellow formed from my body. The blue and yellow mass lifted my body, using its energy to cremate it instantly, exactly as I planned. The creature shaped into a wolf, and said, "Thank you, Percy." The wolf ran from the room without another word.

*brother*

The voice tore me away from the memory. "Hey Aaron, wake up!"

It was Will Solace, my predecessor as Cabin 7's counselor. "What's wrong, man? You slept through dinner last night! That's the first meal I've seen you miss!"

"I don't want to talk about it, Will." I was about to roll over and grieve, when an evil sound penetrated the walls of the cabin.

Miley Cyrus music.

"WHAT THE HELL?" I jumped up, manipulated the light to make my shirt look blue, and burst out of the cabin. It was coming from Aphrodite's cabin. I almost took out my lance, but decided a burning arrow would be best. I knocked on the door, and readied an arrow. When it opened, I shot the arrow at the stereo playing the music. When it hit, I took out my flare gun and shot it at the stereo. My Mini-Solar Flare gun. "NO MORE EVIL NONMUSIC!"

"What is going on, Aaron?" Chiron rode up to me.

"Oh, Chiron! Sorry about the commotion, I'm just…in a mood."

"I see that. Perhaps an assignment will cheer you up."

Needless to say, I liked the sound of that.

When we got inside the Big House, we went to the meeting room of the counselors. Percy, Annabeth, Clarisse, Luke, and Nico were there, amongst others. I went and sat down between Nico and Annabeth.

"Alright, now that everyone's here, we can begin," Chiron said, standing at the head of the table. "There is a school in California that is believed to have demigods. This is not an ordinary school, however. It is a performing arts school."

My mind clicked at that moment. Hollywood Arts. The school I'd been at since the 16th Year War.

"The satyr at this school," Chiron continued, "is unable to identify the half-bloods. We have brought him here to detail this." He motioned toward the door, and Grover walked in, followed by a guy with glasses and an afro. I recognized him immediately.

"Robbie Shapiro!" I said, standing.

"Aaron? Is that you?" Robbie replied. "You're a half-blood?"

"You're the Hollywood Arts satyr?" I asked, surprised.

"Um, yeah. I guess that Mist really is powerful."

Chiron cleared his throat. "Aaron, please be seated." I did as asked. "Now, back on topic. Someone needs to assist Robbie in identifying the half-bloods at Hollywood Arts."

"I'll go," I said immediately. "I know the school. I know Robbie. I was there this year."

"Alright then. The school year there ends soon, so you need to find the children, and fast."

"Not a problem. I'll stay with Robbie, if he's alright with it."

Robbie smiled. "Of course I am!"

"Very well. You shall leave as soon as possible. Nico, could you provide shadow travel for them?"

Nico stood up and said, "Sure. Anything for my sister's guy." My spirits fell then. He didn't know about the breakup. I felt a bit scared to tell him. I didn't know how he'd react.

We left the Big House. Robbie was so happy to tell me everything that had happened since May. Nico and I both wanted nothing more than to knock him out. I went back to cabin 7 to pack, and found Will. "Hey, Aaron. What happened?"

"I'm going to summer school, I think."

"Whoa, you miss one meeting…"

The moment I left my cabin, Robbie jumped me. "Hey, Aaron! Are you all packed for my house?" he asked as I kept walking.

"Yeah, Robbie. Chill out a bit, man! Haven't you ever had someone stay at your house?"

"Not really…not for me anyway…"

I stopped walking. "Really?" He nodded. "Well, I understand your excitement, but it's a little overwhelming. Could you try and cut back a bit?"

"No problem!" He kept quiet until we reached cabin 13. I knocked on the door, and Bianca peeked her head out. "Hello? Oh, Aaron. Hi…"

"Hey Bianca," I answered, trying to sound calm and happy. "Where's Nico?"

"He's here. Nico!"

The boy walked up, smiling. "Ready to go?"

"Totally," I replied, grinning ear to ear.

"Where are you going, Aaron?" Bianca chimed in sweetly.

"California, to find half-bloods. Robbie here is the satyr who found them, but he can't figure out who they are, so I'm going to help. I'm hoping I'll find another Apollo kid, so I can help take care of them!"

"Well…that sounds nice, Aaron. I hope you like it out there." She sounded sad, almost like she knew I would find some other girl to replace her.

"Bianca, it's okay. I'm not going to find a new girlfriend out there or anything. You'll always be my first love."

She perked up at that. "Okay, I believe you. Goodbye. Come back soon."

"Of course I will! This is my home. My heart is always here, even when I'm not."

"Home is where the heart is, right?"

I laughed. "True, but that's not the reason. My heart's always here because you've stolen it." She grew a grin as big as mine hearing that.

Taking out my flare gun, I shot a flare into the sky, which exploded into a Fourth of July blast, in May. I played Haven't Met You Yet by Michael Bublé on my ocarina (another reason for the Hero of Time idea) which she enjoyed. Soon after I started playing, Robbie joined in with his pipes. Grover heard the music and joined in too. I could see Juniper in the woods, dancing along.

After we finished, Bianca gave me a hug, and said, "Bye, Aaron."

I grabbed my bags, and Nico, Robbie, and I walked into the shadows and vanished.

**I really like Bianca…shame it won't last. Hope you enjoyed my first crossover chapter! It's gonna be good! Had trouble finding a title, but I like this title. You'll see what it means soon!**


	2. I Find an Old Enemy: A

Chapter 2 (I Find an Old Enemy/A)

Hollywood Arts. I basically never left.

While I'd been here, it was peaceful. I knew that it would be that way, but I digress. It's so delightful there. My musical skills as a son of Apollo earned me high prowess at the school; so of course, I'm staying there another year.

I knew all of the important people there. At least, the ones I do know. Tori, Andre, Beck, Jade, Cat, Trina…and of course Robbie.

Anyway, the next day was the last day of school. So obviously, I had to work fast.

It scared me how easy it was, and I found it strange that Robbie couldn't figure it out sooner.

Lunch was when I pieced it all together. Robbie and I sat with Tori and Andre and they welcomed me back. "So where were you the last week?" Andre asked.

"Georgia. I wanted to go surprise my mom for Mother's Day." Total lie. I love my mom, but I could just send her a present…less air fare…

"Aw, that's sweet," said Tori. "So you stayed there a whole week?"

"Well, she really misses me when I'm way out here."

Beck and Jade walked up. Beck noticed I was back. "Hey, Aaron. Where you been?"

"Yeah, where? Whoops, don't care." Jade often got on my nerves, as well as other people. Like Tori. Strangely, she never seemed to diss Cat…I thought about that as I relayed the story to her and Beck.

"So, uh, how've things been since I left?"

"Fine," said Beck.

"But that substitute teacher is a little creepy…" added Tori.

"You mean that Needle guy?" That Needle guy was really Dr. Thorn, from Westover Hall. I knew just how creepy he was, but I also knew just how easy he'd be.

"Yeah, him. Don't you hate that accent?"

Everyone nodded. Trina walked by and noticed me. "Oh hey, it's that Adam kid."

"My name is Aaron, Trina." Then I realized it. Looking at her enough, she was clearly a…

"Robbie, can I talk to you for a minute? Okay, great. Come on." I dragged him off. "Two things. First, you know what Needle is, right?"

"A manticore, yeah. Can you take care of him?"

"Definitely. Now the second thing is more important. I'm pretty sure Trina is a half-blood."

Robbie's eyes widened. "Trina? Does that mean…"

"Yes, Tori's probably a half-blood too."

Robbie looked both ways, then leaned forward a bit. "Who's their parent?"

"I don't know. But I'm pretty sure it's not Ares or Hephaestus. The prime possibilities are Hermes and my dad, Apollo. I hope they're Apollos, I want to train them!"

"Amazing how they've gone pretty much undetected for 17 years…"

I looked out at Needle. "You're forgetting him."

"You said you'd handle him!"

"Yeah, but I don't know how to do it in front of all these people!"

"I'll think of something," Robbie finalized as Tori called us. "Just give me time!"

"What were you two talking about over there?" asked Andre in a rather suggestive-ish voice.

"Just…a prank I'm going to pull on Needle," I said, thinking fast.

"Prank?" Jade heard the word 'prank' and immediately tuned back into the conversation. Obviously she's a half-blood too, and I knew straightaway her parent…

"Yes, Jade. A prank on the sub."

"You probably shouldn't do that, Aaron," Tori said. "What if you get caught?"

"Tori, when I want to be bad, I never get caught."

(Brother)

_Okay, I need to think of a prank, and fast! _I thought to myself.

Hiding in a room between periods after lunch, I worked on ideas. Multiple thoughts were either impossible or would be too easy to figure out, but eventually an idea made itself clear. Manipulating the light around myself due to the power of Apollo, I made myself invisible to everyone around me. Just in case it didn't work, I kept a cloak of Mist around me as I snuck into the cafeteria, grabbing all the pie, and stuffing it into a sack I found in the room. I went to the classroom that Needle would be teaching in just a few minutes after, and wrote on the wall in pie filling "NEEDLE SUCKS" and then planted the pie bag in Jade's locker.

Once I was done, I went about my business as normal. And after a few minutes…

"SACRE BLEU!"

The trap deployed itself.

Some students went to see what happened. I made sure to go with them, to keep from leaving any evidence towards my involvement. Robbie, Cat, and Tori were in the crowd, so once it dissipated, they came up to me. "Was this your prank?" Tori asked sternly.

"Yup. Fun, huh?"

"You shouldn't have done that. Have you seen how strict he is?"

"Yes, I have." They didn't know it, but I knew firsthand how strict Needle was. "Chill, Tori. I'm pretty sure you're not my mother."

"And I believe I am your teacher," said a horrible French voice.

"Mr. Needle, what a surprise," I said, turning to him.

"You do realize I heard everything you said?" he failed at saying.

"Of course, Mr. Needle. I suppose you want me to come with you to the office?"

A devilish grin crossed the manticore's face. "No, no. I think I'll punish you myself." He grabbed me by the hand, and dragged me away. I yelled, "Tori! Help! Bring everyone you can!" I left her with a confused look on her face. "Trust me!" I added. That didn't seem to work, however Robbie seemed to know what I meant.

Everything was working out right.

"You did this?" Needle asked once we were inside his classroom.

"Why, yes, Mr. Needle. I did." I knew the spikes would start launching any minute, as I instinctively started to reach for my flare gun.

"You do not belong here, boy. You are not a normal human."

"Neither are you, Needle. I see you figured me out almost as fast as I figured you out."

"Demigod scum!" he howled as the destruction began. I could clearly see him in his full form now. As he took aim at me, I took a rubber band out of my pocket. As I stretched it, it turned into my bow. When he fired, I sent out a small heat wave, knocking the spines back. Then I shot an arrow into his leg.

As he howled, he burst through the wall to the outside. Jumping through, I watched as he screamed, and then willed the arrow to burst. His leg was in tatters, all over the grass. Taking advantage of his screams of pain, I took out my gun and shot him in the mouth, detonating the flare. Just as easy as I'd expected, and I didn't even need my lance.

Somehow, his head flew completely off, and landed in the grass along with all the pieces of his leg. I picked it up, looking in the eyes of my defeated foe.

"WHAT WAS THAT?" I heard Tori scream. Turning, I saw her, Jade, Cat, Robbie, and even Trina. Obviously, they saw everything, although I wasn't sure about Cat. They were all rather wide-eyed, though, so they either saw the manticore, or me shooting the teacher. I stared at them for a few seconds, but ran off with the head. Hiding around a corner, I became invisible, hiding the head in my arms as well.

Running off, I decided I'd tell them later. Once I knew for sure if all four girls were half-bloods, I'd spring it on them. I went back to class and blended in until school ended.

**OMG! I'm going camping in a hotel at a beach for a week, and I can't bring my compuper! D: So Chapter 3 will take a little while longer, but it'll be Tori POV, so it's worth it :D Review!**


	3. Robbie Loses His Pants: T

**Chapter 3 (Robbie Unexpectedly Loses His Pants/T)**

**Hooray, the first Tori chapter! Also, a certain celebrity involved with Victorious might read this…if you are reading, O Secret Celebrity, I am so honored that you took my suggestion, and YOU ARE AWESOME!**

Hi, it's me, Tori! Apparently, I'm supposed to help Aaron tell you about how I learned I was a half-blood. So here goes!

Okay, Aaron talked up until the manticore, right? So I'll pick it up from there. After the attack, the day was pretty hectic. Whenever any of us girls tried to get close to him, he'd disappear, which really confused me. I saw him talking to Robbie a couple of times, but he'd disappear whenever I tried getting in on it.

But more importantly, the school was in chaos about the destruction in the classroom. Everyone seemed to forget about Needle, too. It was like he never existed. In his place was a perky guy named Mr. Patton, who dressed in clown makeup and a rainbow wig. We didn't like him very much.

After school, Aaron left with Robbie without even telling us goodbye. But I had a plan. The first thing I did was run to Trina's locker. "Trina!" I yelled when I saw her. "I need your help."

"Ah, you want my talent advice?" Trina answered vainly. "10 bucks." She held out her open hand.

I was getting fed up with her already. "Trina, I don't want your talent advice! I need you to drive me to Robbie's house."

"Oh, no. I'm not going to that dude's house. I think he still has a crush on me from that one time!"

Grabbing her shirt, I pulled her toward me. "Trina, something's up with Aaron, and I know you saw it. He's at Robbie's house. This is our chance to catch him."

Trina tore herself free. "I don't want to get involved in this!" She tried walking away, but I caught her. "Why don't you want to get involved?"

"Because this is a new top!" she answered. And the argument began.

At some point, Beck, Jade, and Cat walked by, and busted up the fight. Beck calmly said, "What's the deal, girls?" We both started talking, but he stopped us. "Tori first." As I relayed the story to him, Cat backed me up. Even Jade helped enforce the sighting. When I finally finished, Beck sighed. "Well, I wasn't asking for your entire day, but I suppose it was necessary. Trina?"

"Okay, that stuff is true, but I don't want to get involved. I just bought this top last night, and I have a feeling it will get dirty if I come along!"

Beck stared at her. "Trina, that's no reason for you to stay out of this. Whatever the problem is with Aaron, it's nothing to be worried about a top over."

"Excuse me, but you didn't see the monster!"

"Monster?" Beck was confused. "You think Patton's a monster?"

"Patton didn't exist until today! The Needle guy was the substitute, and he was a lion thing!"

"Trina, how much sugar have you had recently?" I laughed a bit when Beck said that, but when everyone stared at me, I stopped. "Sorry."

At that point, Jade surprised everyone. Except maybe Cat. "Beck, Trina's right. There was a Needle guy, and he was a monster, and Aaron did kill him. Patton isn't real, I think."

"Jade, what are you talking about? Patton's been here all day."

"Alright," I intervened, "the subject is dropped. Trina, let's go." I dragged her to the car, ignoring her whining. Jade and Cat followed, and helped force her into the driver's seat. After enough persuasion, she drove us down.

When we finally got to the house, we saw Robbie and Aaron outside. They were walking to the forest behind the house. When Aaron saw us, he disappeared, leaving me almost speechless. Robbie ran off behind the house, but I didn't notice. "Did he just…?" Almost speechless, I said.

"I think he did," Jade answered my rhetorical question.

Trina parked in the driveway, and we all got out to run after him. Well, Cat didn't run. She skipped. But anyway, we saw Robbie go into some thick trees, and after Jade finished calming Trina down (don't ask how), we went into the trees. We yelled for Robbie and Aaron, but Aaron was obviously still invisible, and Robbie was familiar with the trees, and apparently a very good hider.

And then I got an idea. "Oh man, guys, it's hot out here. Man, maybe I should take my shirt off-"

I heard Robbie screech, and gave the girls my "help-me" look. Trina understood. "Oh yeah, it's so hot," she said, pulling a bottle of water out of her purse. "Maybe I should take my shirt off too, and pour this cold, cold water all over myself."

Robbie was dying at this point. He ran out from behind his tree, screaming. Jade grabbed the back of his shirt before he could run any farther. "Where's Aaron?"

"I don't know! He's a really good hider!"

I took this opportunity to butt in, and said "No, he turned himself invisible!"

"So you did see through the Mist!"

"Wha-what mist?"

An arrow flew into the tree next to Jade. "Maybe I should explain, no?" said Aaron from up in a different tree.

"Yes, you should."

We were hiding out in Robbie's room, where Aaron was also staying. Aaron's sleeping bag was laid out on the floor next to the bed, with a big green beanbag chair up near the head area. Aaron sat in that chair, which had some weird bloodstains on it for some reason. Robbie and Cat sat on the bed, Trina sat at Robbie's desk, and Jade and I sat on the floor.

"Okay, kiddies. It's storytime. First, you girls aren't normal. And I don't mean abnormally talented, Trina." Trina frowned in defeat. "You guys know all those Greek myths and stuff, right? With the 12 Olympians, and the Underworld, and all that?" I was confused as to where he was going, and I'm sure everyone else was, but we all nodded, except Robbie. "Thing is, they aren't myths. There really are 12 Olympian gods, and they live on Mount Olympus, which they've moved to the Empire State Building. The reason you aren't normal is because one of your parents was a god or goddess. Unfortunately, I don't know who has which parent."

"So does this have anything to do with that monster substitute?" asked Jade.

"Yeah. Needle, or Thorn as I used to know him, was a manticore. See, the downside of the gods being real is that the monsters are real too. I'm not going to name a bunch, because names are powerful things. But I'm sure you've heard of Hades' guard dog Cerberus. That's an example."

"So, we're half-god."

"The correct term is demigod, but we usually call ourselves half-bloods."

"Okay, we're demi-wait, we?"

"Come on, you didn't guess it? I'm a half-blood too. My patron is Apollo, god of the sun, music, poetry, archery, and prophecy."

Trina stood up from her chair. "You expect us to believe this?"

"You saw the manticore. What more proof do you need?"

Cat finally said something. "Oh, maybe a fairy!" She grinned almost scarily.

"Fairies aren't us. But satyrs are." Aaron shot a devilish look at Robbie. Robbie sighed and stood up. "I knew I would have to do this..." he groaned.

"Wait a second, what's a satyr?" asked Trina.

Ignoring her, Aaron kept his attention focused on Robbie. "You could just do it in the closet, and spare them the mental scarring for a few days."

"Actually, it's just the Mist. I can turn it off." He stood still for a few seconds, and his pants and legs started turning white, before shattering to pieces. In their place were goat legs.

In less than a second, the entire room lit up with the screaming of Cat, Trina, and I. Jade didn't scream, but she looked like she was about to.

Aaron jumped up, pulled out a rubber band, and stretched it out. It turned into a very well-made bow, with an arrow appearing in it. We all shut up instantly.

"Good. Now, before you all start screaming again, Robbie is a satyr. He is the half-goat servant of Pan, former Lord of the Wild. Basically, he's a green freak."

"Hey!"

"If you want to survive, you need to know these things. Now, I've made a few more observations, and I can conclude your godly parents."

"Don't we get a choice here?" I asked. "This is all super weird. What if we don't want to be involved?"

Aaron sat back down next to me, giving me a pretty strange look, as if I was his sister or something. "Tori, it's okay. I felt the same way when I first learned my dad was a god. And now, I'm a big hero!"

"Really?" It cheered my up a bit to hear him being so nice.

"Yeah, really! You could do something great too." I heard Jade groan. "Now. Jade, you're first to know your parent. You supposably don't know your father, correct?"

"IT'S SUPPOSEDLY," Jade growled through her teeth.

"Aw, Jade's fustrated. What're you going to do, hit me with 9 moist tissues?" Jade literally looked like she was about to burst. I was worried for Aaron's health. "Just answer my question, and then you can leave if you want." Aaron was giving her a break for once. Surprising from him to her.

"No, I don't know my dad. Bye." Jade got up, but we heard a clicking sound. Aaron had a Nerf gun out. "Aw, a dart gun. Cute," she growled.

I didn't agree with her. "Jade, don't you remember? He had this when he blew up the monster!"

Aaron got a devilish grin on his face. "That's right, Tori. This thing is a mini-solar flare gun. These pellets have actual pieces of the Sun in them. They're the most powerful explosives in the universe. Using magic, I contain them in the pellets, but I can detonate them at will, through a button on this gun. When detonated, the blast is contained within a small radius, but it's powerful enough to vaporize anything on contact."

"You're bluffing," Jade answered.

"Am I?" Aaron replied. I was terrified, and the others were too. I think Trina even fainted for a moment!

Then something crazy happened. And by crazy, I mean Cat.

She actually tackled him. She jumped on his back and he tried to shake her off, but she managed to pin him to the bed. She was screaming like a girl in a horror movie, with tears in her eyes. She even woke up my unconscious sister. "DON'T KILL JADE!"

"Cat, get off me," Aaron answered completely calm.

"Why were you going to kill Jade?" Cat was really crying now.

"Ah, screw it." Aaron stood straight up with Cat still clutching his wrists, leaving her hanging a few inches above the ground. "For the record, I could do this with any one of you."

Jade was still standing near the doorway. Aaron walked over to her after he tore Cat off of him, and said, "It's settled then. You father is Ares, god of war. Of course, that jerkoff might not remember you. You'll know when an image of a boar's head appears above you."

Then he went to Cat and asked her about her parents. "Well, they're just normal people. Amazing that they made me, huh?" She giggled a bit, then realized, "Oh wait, one of my parents is a step-parent. I forgot for a second!"

Aaron smiled wide. "Well, I think I know who your parent is. Surprisingly, it's not Iris, goddess of rainbows." Looking at Robbie, he added, "Wouldn't that be one's first guess?" Robbie nodded. Turning back to Cat, Aaron continued. "Your mother is Demeter, goddess of plants, fertility of the earth, and harvests."

"And finally, saving my favorite discovery for last. Tori and Trina. I knew you were both half-bloods all day, but I didn't know who you belonged to until a few minutes ago. And may I say, I'm very happy you have this particular parent."

While he was talking, I began to piece things together in my head. The weird look he gave me earlier, the way he treated me so nice compared to Jade and Trina, it all made sense.

Suddenly, Robbie said, "Whoa! The claiming!" Everyone looked at me, and Trina said, "There's something above your head!"

I looked at her, and saw she had something over her head. "You too!" I answered. There was a holographic-looking picture of the sun, with a bow and arrow placed over it. I guessed the same thing was above my head as well.

Aaron smiled. "I was right. Tori, Trina, your father is Apollo, god of the sun, music, poetry, archery and prophecy. And I'm your half-brother."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I had a brother, and he was right under my nose for almost a whole year. "I have a brother. I have a brother!" I started jumping around, and hugging him. "Trina, we have a brother!"

Trina was indeed in shock, but not as enthusiastic as me. "Whoa. Wow, you're right. We have a brother."

After I let go of him, Aaron chuckled, "Well, you guys should get packing. We should leave tomorrow for camp."

I nodded, as did Cat. "By the way," I asked, "where is this camp?"

"Oh, that's right. I don't think I told you. It's in New York."

The next day, we met up in front of my house. Jade had left without even telling her mom, Cat had asked her parents about the whole thing, and Trina and I just asked our parents to go on a trip with a few friends. Anyway, we all met up packed and ready to leave. Aaron asked to use our hose, and I said okay. Robbie went behind the house and got the hose, and Aaron took out a strange looking coin and threw it into the stream, saying "Nico di Angelo, Camp Half-Blood."

The coin disappeared, and in its place was an image of a kid about 13 years old in a dark room. Aaron shouted "Nico!" and the boy turned toward us. "Aaron! Hey. Still in California?"

"Not for long," Aaron answered. "I found the half-bloods, and we need transport to camp."

"Half-bloods?" the boy, Nico, replied, with emphasis on the "s." "How many?"

"Four girls. Two unclaimed, one most likely Ares, the other likely Demeter, and two claimed Apollos."

"Great! Be there in a sec." The image vanished as Robbie shut off the hose.

"What just happened?" Jade asked Aaron.

"That was an IM," Aaron said. "The rainbow goddess Iris carries messages for gods and half-bloods through her rainbows."

"That's the gist of it," a voice said behind us. We all turned and saw the boy from the image just a few seconds before. "Man, coast-to-coast round trips are exhausting. Hope you don't mind, lover boy, but Bianca's coming too."

"Oh she is, is she?" Aaron replied. "Interesting. Can't wait for her to meet my sisters. Speaking of which, Nico, this is Cat, Trina, Tori, and Jade. You already know Robbie." Robbie waved.

"Nice to meet you guys. I'm Nico, son of Hades. By the way, I'm older than I look."

Wait a second, I thought. Hades? "You're a son of Hades? The god of the Underworld?"

"That's quite right. It's how I managed to get here from New York so fast. Man, shadow travel is fun, but tough."

"It really is," said another voice. A girl about our age appeared behind Nico, as if she came straight out of the ground. "Hey, everyone. I'm Bianca. Nico's my little brother."

Aaron walked up to her. "Hey, babe. You mind taking us home?"

Bianca leaned up against him. "Sure thing, Aaron," she said almost seductively. I wondered if these two were involved in some way.

"Okay, people," Aaron said commandingly. Tori and Cat, come with me and Bianca. Jade and Trina, you go with Robbie and Nico. Bianca, where do you expect we'll come out?"

"Probably in the shadow of Thalia's Tree."

"Excellent. Move out." Bianca, Nico, Aaron and Robbie all faded into the shadows, and Jade, Trina, Cat and I followed.

All around me was a complete darkness. All I could see was Cat next to me, and Bianca and Aaron ahead of us. I felt a slight forward motion, as though we were on an invisible conveyor belt.

Then the light broke in.

**Well, this one took a while, huh? Haven't updated in over a month. And it's 3 months after the time period Aaron's in right now! BTW, still not telling who the secret celeb is…but I bet you can guess. Also, it's been almost a year since I first joined FFN! I'll have a celebratory release of my first iCarly story on my one-year anniversary, August 28****th****! Check it out! Next chapter is more Tori, followed by a PERCY CHAPTER!**


	4. We Get the Grand Tour: T

**Chapter 4 (We Get the Grand Tour/T)**

**Hey guys! I'm back! And I'm thinking of adding an expansion through to another series…maybe something Disney? Like Camp Rock or something? Suggestions are much appreciated. Anyway, hope everyone had a good couple of months. As a present, have another Tori chapter!**

Hey, it's Tori again. So Aaron told me to talk some more. Up until, I guess capture the flag. Here I go!

So we reappeared under a pine tree, and the first thing I saw was a huge dragon. It had its tail wrapped around the tree, and it seemed to be asleep. Aaron was laying on its back, looking relaxed, as if he did this sort of thing all the time.

It occurred to me he probably did.

Robbie, Jade, Trina and Nico all appeared a few seconds later. Trina jumped when she saw the dragon. Aaron calmed her down, saying the dragon's name was Peleus, and that it was in charge of protecting the camp. Trina still didn't look any less scared.

"Kay, gang, time for some introductions," Aaron told us. "Nico, Bianca, you can both go if you want. Robbie, I'd like for you to stay. I think they'd be more comfortable with you around."

Nico and Bianca left. As they walked off, I got my first glimpse of the camp.

I'm pretty sure you already know what it looks like and stuff, but Aaron told me to go into detail, so I will.

It looked like Katy Perry or Lady Gaga designed the buildings. On one end of the large field was a big group of about 20 buildings, arranged in two horseshoe shapes. On the other end was a big four-story house, painted blue. Kids darted around, doing all sorts of things. In the forest around the outside of the field were girls dressed in floral clothing and people with goat legs chasing each other around. On the porch of the big house, a chubby man and a bearded man in a wheelchair were playing cards.

"Yeah, it's not much," Aaron said. "But it's a home for those of us who need one."

"It's pretty crowded," Trina said.

"Yeah, it wasn't near this size last year. Long story, we'll tell you later. For now, let's go see Chiron."

"Who's Chiron?" Cat asked Aaron. "He has a really nice name."

"Chiron's the activities director," Aaron answered. "And yeah, I've noticed his name before. He's the guy in the wheelchair over there." He pointed to the porch of the large house.

As we arrived at the house, the other man said, "Oh great, more brats."

"Now, now, Mr. D, they are demigods," Chiron said. "Aaron, I see you've completed your mission."

Aaron scowled at the second man for a second, and then grinned at Chiron. "Yes sir. Did Nico have time to give you details?"

"No, I'm afraid not. But I trust you'll be able to."

"Of course, sir," Aaron said, still smiling. Looking at Robbie, he said, "Hey, Rob, could you take these guys to see the orientation film?"

"Sure thing. Guys, follow me." Robbie led us off, and I heard Aaron and Chiron talking.

After about 15 minutes, we came out, knowing pretty much everything about the camp. Trina didn't pay very much attention, but I could explain later. Coming back to the Big House, Aaron, Chiron, and Mr. D (who we learned was actually Dionysus, god of wine and parties) were all still there. Aaron had joined in with the card game, and appeared to be winning.

Mr. D confirmed this thought by tossing in his cards, and scowling. A Diet Coke can appeared in his hand, which surprised all of us, even after learning he was a god.

"Come on, Mr. D," Aaron said. His voice sounded respectful, but I could sense veiled contempt in it. "Be a good sport. I thought you'd be more used to losing, playing with Chiron so much."

"Just forget it. Take the brats on their tour and get them settled. We start tomorrow."

"Of course, sir." Aaron stood up. He gestured for us to leave, and we followed. After a few steps he stopped. "And sir?" He held a card up to Mr. D. "I'll make sure you win next time."

Aaron kept his devilish grin all the way up to the cabins. Jade said he looked like some girl from a game she liked. I think she called it No More Heroes. When we reached the cabins, Aaron began to explain the camp to us.

"I know you've already seen the video and all, but I'll go a little deeper. As you know, each cabin represents a particular god. Up until last year there were only 12, but now we have nearly twice that many."

He led us around the inner circle, starting on the end closer to the ocean I could see off in the distance.

The first cabin he led us to was a worn-out old shack with one of those medical symbols over the door. "Cabin 11, Hermes. God of messengers, travel, and thieves. The counselor is named Luke Castellan. He's got a scar on his face and a gray streak in his hair."

Next was a brick building with a smoking chimney, looking like a factory of some sort. "Number 9, Hephaestus. God of forges, metalworking, and one form of fire. The Counselor is named Jake Mason. He's a pretty tall black dude, looks kind of like Kanye West."

The next cabin looked like an ordinary gold painted building, but then the sunlight hit it. I think Percy's told you what exactly happens when light touches it. "Lucky number 7, Apollo cabin. God of the sun, medicine, archery, arts, and prophecies." Smiling ear-to-ear, he added, "Counselor's yours truly. Aaron Branford, who's very handsome if he does say so himself." Cat and I laughed.

Fourth cabin over was brutal red, with barbed wire on the roof. But easily the scariest part was the disturbing boar head over the door. Its eyes felt like they followed me. "Ares cabin, number 5. God of war, bloodlust, and overall No More Heroes epicness. Jade, you'll be staying here." When Jade heard she'd be staying in the cabin that represented that game she liked, she actually shouted out of joy. "Counselor's name's Clarisse la Rue. She's a tall, bulky reddish-brown hair girl, usually wearing a camo jacket."

The second cabin away from the center looked like the sea barfed it up. It was incredibly beautiful with seashells all over it, but smelled like the ocean after a hurricane. Holding his nose, Aaron continued his tour. "Poseidon's cabin 3. Poseidon's god of the ocean, earthquakes, and horses, and one of the three elder gods, making his kids epically powerful. Percy Jackson's the counselor. Percy's got really nice black hair, and he's totally cool. But he has a girlfriend, so you guys have no chances." He laughed, and we all looked as angry as Jade.

The two cabins in the middle looked absolutely royal. The one on the left looked like an actual Greek temple, complete with polished columns in the front, with lightning bolts blazing down them, and the shining doors looked almost transparent. On the right was a magnificent gray marble building. "Zeus and Hera have cabins one and two, but Hera's is only for honorary purposes. There's never gonna be a half-blood from Hera. Zeus's is also supposed to be honorary but we have had one camper here in the past. Hera's goddess of marriage and families. Zeus's king of the gods, and god of the sky, wind, and lightning. If I wasn't an Apollo kid, I'd wanna be a Zeus."

Cabin 4 was incredibly overgrown, with a roof made of actual grass, and vines all over it. "Cabin 4, Demeter. Goddess of harvests, plants and such, and seasons, a duty she shares with her daughter Persephone. Counselor's Katie Gardner, she's a tall, pretty blonde. Cat, this will be your cabin." Predictably, Cat's usual 'yay' made an appearance.

Cabin 6 was incredibly beautiful, with silvery curtains glittering over the windows, although the owl was kinda creepy. "Athena's cabin is sixth, and Athena's goddess of wisdom, and the less violent side of war. Annabeth Chase, Percy's girlfriend, is the counselor. One of the most beautiful girls here, in mine and Percy's shared opinion."

The eighth cabin (I caught on to the numbering system around Ares cabin) was basically a mix of Athena and Apollo cabins. It was colored like cabin 6, but I later learned it shone as bright as Apollo's at night. "Eighth cabin, my dearest Aunty Artemis. She's goddess of moonlight, maidens and hunters. She's also a virgin goddess, so this cabin is only for her Huntresses to stay in. Her lietenant of the Hunters is Thalia Grace, a daughter of Zeus. If I were you guys, I wouldn't join the Hunters. Just take it from me."

Cabin 10 was the most girly building I have ever seen. It was like Barbie designed it. Remembering some myths I'd heard of, I immediately realized who this cabin belonged to. Aaron's look of killing intent confirmed my thoughts. "Aphrodite. A complete and total snob of a goddess, and most of her kids are the same way. I once knew a camper that was different…" He trailed off there. After about 10 seconds, he remembered the present. "Anyway, the counselor is named Rebecca DeMonaco. She's absolutely gorgeous, and is a lot like the last Aphrodite counselor. You'll know her when you see her."

Cabin 12 was the only cabin on that side of the circle that was dedicated to a man. It was all vine covered like Demeter's, and it had the scent of grapes, but as we already knew, it was… "Dionysus's cabin. You've met him already. And the video definitely described him. His only living demigod child, Pollux, is the counselor. He's a blond guy, who looks a lot like his dad, except with an added degree of niceness."

Then he took us around to the outer circle, starting all the way at the other side. He told me only the Hades cabin was important enough for me to talk about, and you guys already know about it. "So, that's your briefing. No questions? Alright. Head to your cabins, and the day can start soon."

It was a Saturday, so we didn't have Capture the Flag for a week. Basically, after that, we started getting used to everything. We met everyone, got into the schedule, and made this whole chapter completely useless. Aaron says I'm done for now, so bye!

**Don't fillers suck? Well, I'll make up for it. A Capture the Flag game, narrated by PERCY! Have a good time before chapter 5!**


	5. We Become Exterminators: P

**Chapter 5 (We Become Exterminators/P)**

**As promised, PERSAAAAAAAAAAAAY!**

**Also, my dog gave birth. There are 6 little baby dogs messing up my house, and I've never been happier! HAPPY 14****th**** BIRTHDAY TO ME, AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU, even though it's still May in the story.**

**Bee-Tee-Dub, Inception ref that becomes important later. Find it if you CAAAAAAAAAAAAAN…**

Hey. What's up, it's Percy. Been a while, huh? So Aaron asked me to help lay down the story about the girls. Luckily I was there for this next portion of the story.

So that first day the girls showed up, I happened to be teaching the sword class with Clarisse. I wasn't completely happy about that matter, but I complied. The girls were in our first group.

"Well, we got rookies," Clarisse said, "so we're gonna have to spell this out for ya. I'm Clarisse, head of Ares cabin. That's Percy, the Poseidon kid. If ya wanna learn to actually fight, ya listen to me."

A little angry with that statement, I blasted her with some water. "Looks like the real fighter's all wet," I threw back. "Now we should be focusing on the training," I added, although the kids were laughing.

The amphitheatre wasn't as full as usual. Lately the number of new half-bloods had dwindled the slightest bit. Chiron, however, had used it to the camp's advantage, convincing Mr. D to give us more room. We had already started work on extra cabins for Hermes and Apollo, and the second Aphrodite cabin plans were being worked on as well.

Aaron had also been making the second floor of the first Apollo cabin, although he wouldn't say what it was going to be.

Oh, whoops. I'm off on a tangent. Does that happen a lot?

Back to reality. Clarisse took Jade, other Ares kids, and the newbies from Hermes and Aphrodite, and led them off to another area. Not to get off on another tangent, but Aphrodite kids had been getting in on more action, participating in more classes and games. The counselor, Rebecca, had even helped Aaron with archery class, and taught the sword class on occasion.

Anyway, I was left with the new kids from the other cabins in the group. Slightly less new Apollo kids were speaking in rhymes (that annoyed me a bit) and Demeter cabin was growing plants on their swords. Some Hephaestus kids were digging through the sword chest to find the weapon they could soup up the most. Such active minds.

"Alright everyone. We're gonna start with a few simple moves. Grab your swords and pair up." Trina groaned off at one side, but she decided to pair up with an Apollo guy. She didn't yet grasp that she was related to him. Tori and Cat paired up with each other.

I demonstrated a basic combo with a slightly more experienced Hephaestus guy. "Now, why don't you guys try that out? Work on it a bit with your partner, and then we'll move on to something else."

I stayed focused on Tori and Cat, as they both seemed pretty…I don't want to say weak, but I guess I have to. But Cat defied my expectations. She performed well for someone who just learned she was a half-blood. Tori's work was also beyond the image of her I had worked out. I wondered just what they taught people at that school in LA.

Eventually, a yell tore me away from the girls. Trina's partner was on the ground with a cut on his leg. I helped him up, asking Trina "What happened?"

"He almost killed me with that thing!" she yelled, although it looked like she almost killed him.

"Need some help?" I heard. Aaron was standing next to me, with his camp shirt colored green to match the bandanna on his shoulder.

"Yes, please." I sat the dude on a bench, while Aaron worked his magic. Apollos like Aaron, Tori, and Trina are gifted with healing powers. But, just like everything else about him, Aaron's were increased. Nobody knows why Aaron's so powerful. I guess his dad just favored him or something.

"Take notes, Apollos," Aaron said loudly. "Healing magic. Just for us. With time, you guys will definitely be able to at least heal broken bones. Stuff like this'll be nothing." Tori was spellbound. Trina kept glaring at Aaron's patient, who was trying to comprehend what he could do.

And Cat was staring at a butterfly.

*jackson*

The first week was pretty much the same. Tori, Cat, and Trina developed some skills well, including archery. Tori and Trina obviously had a knack for projectile weapons and swords alike, and even Cat did well with a bow.

I didn't get a chance to work with Jade very much, but from what I'd heard she excelled in swordplay. Clarisse was proud of her.

Anyway, Friday rolled around again, and with it came Capture the Flag. This week, as usual, Ares cabin and Athena cabin (meaning Clarisse and Annabeth) led the teams. Clarisse had Hephaestus, Aphrodite, Hermes, and Nemesis cabins backing Ares, with Demeter, Apollo, Dionysus, Hades, and Morpheus cabins backing me and Annabeth. So far there was only one Nemesis half-blood, Maria something, and two Morpheus kids, Lucy Gomez and Remy Cobb.

Anyway, the odds were against us, even with Apollo cabin on our side. Lately, Apollo cabin's been a bit of a valuable chip in our pile, with the supersoldier Aaron. And with all the newbies on our side, we probably didn't stand a chance.

So Aaron was happy. He liked battling the odds. And even though Annabeth was supposed to lead the team, he took charge. He led us to a big hole in the ground that I'd never seen before. There were some tree branches hanging over the deep hole. Aaron tied a rope to the flagpole, and lassoed a branch with the other end. The flag dangled over the pit while attached to the branch. "Good idea, right?" he asked, smiling.

"Um, obvious flaw," Annabeth answered, pointing at the tree. "Tree climbing is easy."

"Yes, but…" Aaron paused as he tossed a pebble onto a separate branch. The branch collapsed. "They're incredibly dry and weak, thanks to a little super heat."

"Well, they could just shoot it down with an arrow."

"It'd land in the hole, and besides, we're the best shots here."

Annabeth smiled. "A plan worthy of Athena. But how are you going to get it down?"

"Simple." Aaron pulled out that weird Nerf flare gun. "This'll definitely give the flag enough force to bypass the hole."

"Well, you got me," Annabeth said. "Great job. But leave the rest to me."

We huddled up. Annabeth started barking orders almost too fast to register. What I caught was something like "Archers, watch the flag. Aaron and people who can turn invisible will divide into two teams, and go around the sides. Aaron's team is offense, my team is extraction. Percy, take the rest up to the border and defend." She turned around for a second, before looking back at me, adding, "And stay there this time." Being her boyfriend now, I figured I should listen.

Cat (as usual, I'd soon discover) was smiling, not paying very much attention, and doing whatever she was told. I kept her, Remy and Lucy, and a few others with me. Aaron took Tori and Trina, keeping them invisible, along with some stronger Apollos and Athenas who weren't acting as archers. Annabeth, Bianca, and Nico took our stealthier, faster teammates.

The horn sounded.

And the fun began.

Nothing happened for a while, until we heard some shouting behind us. I turned and saw the Stoll brothers. They appeared to be running away from the flag area, until they took out their swords.

Then I got tackled by a girl, which hadn't happened in a while.

Clarisse was on top of me. She'd taken the bulk of Cabin 5 and ran right for us. I tagged her, but she wouldn't get off. Finally, I got annoyed. So I used the river nearby to pick her up. Dusting myself off, I saw Cat running from Connor and Travis. I willed the water to extend towards them too. It obeyed, and I tagged them both out. Other than her, everyone else was down.

The Ares cabin soldiers had disappeared, and I worried they'd made it to the flag. But the only stealthy ones they had over on that side were Hermes cabin, and I'd beaten two of their best. Only Luke could've…

Then it occurred to me.

Luke was with them.

*jackson*

After a few minutes, I saw him. Luke was holding our gray flag, and running right for us. He'd somehow managed to avoid every attack AND get the flag.

I couldn't take him. He'd been training more and more since last year. I'd been living my life, but he'd been working. Rebuilding himself. Now, I definitely didn't stand a chance.

So what happened next came as a shock.

The Morpheus siblings ran right past me. Right before I saw Luke, they'd been on the ground. But Remy and Lucy charged right in to take him on. Lucy had a great big purple axe, and Remy had a longsword. I'd trained them with Annabeth before, and I wondered how much of Luke would be left.

Real quick, to keep the fangirls happy, all of him survived.

Because right then, a scorpion knocked him out of the way. It was the same kind of scorpion that usually patrolled the forest, but it was MUCH bigger. Remy and Lucy stood in shock for a second, before looking at each other, nodding, and charging it.

I tried to run at it too, but my arm and part of my back was in a lot of pain from Clarisse's ambush. So I was stuck on the sidelines.

Still, Remy and Lucy seemed to have it handled. Lucy was scaling the back of the scorpion, moving toward the head, while Remy tried attacking the underbelly. Both of them started doing some serious damage to the beast, with Lucy dragging her axe along its spine, and Remy stabbing it in its weaker regions.

But they forgot the tail. Right before Lucy reached the head, the great tail crashed right into her, sending her straight to the ground. I hurried over to her. She wasn't poisoned, but at least 4 of her ribs were definitely broken.

Remy hadn't fallen victim to the tail yet, and he'd gotten the idea to attack the legs. Within seconds, the monster was down four legs, and on its side in pain. Remy tried pushing it over, but finally was hit with the tail. Again choosing to sweep, it hit Remy in the legs, and he fell to the ground. The scorpion aimed its tail right at his chest, and swooped in for the kill.

But then the tail exploded. A second later, an arrow was lodged in the scorpion's eye, which also exploded. The monster toppled over, and faded to dust before it hit the ground, leaving its lost limbs behind.

"So what else did we miss?" Aaron and Annabeth asked me, clutching the now-golden flag, along with a bow and flare gun.

*jackson*

That night, after our victory both in the game and against the scorpion, our golden and gray laurels were awarded to Annabeth, Aaron and I, we had dinner. I was alone as usual, being in a Big Three cabin without Tyson, my Cyclops half-brother, to keep me company. But Grover sat with me after a minute. "Nice win today."

"Yeah, well, thank Annabeth. It was her strategy."

"Oh, I already have," he laughed. I missed Grover during school time. We'd been through a lot together, me and him and Annabeth. It was like we had our own little team, and it always seemed to be that way when we got quests and stuff (which hardly ever happened during peaceful times like now).

"And Remy and Lucy were helpful with the scorpion." I asked him, while looking at them. I was glad Lucy's ribs were healed (Aaron. Who else?). Lucy was a quiet person. She was a very pretty 16-year-old Latina, with long black hair and dark, mysterious blue eyes. She was a little short for her age, shorter than Rachel, my friend the Oracle. She didn't talk much, often keeping her nose buried in a book, almost like an Athena girl.

Remy was different. He was a lot like this one guy I knew back in middle school, Mike. Mike was a real funny, friendly, crazy dude. Remy looked nothing like him, but they were still similar. Remy had long dark hair too, but he kept it under a sweet-looking blue cap, like Annabeth's. He was about my height, tough-looking, and a really cool guy. You wouldn't believe he was even related to Lucy.

"Yeah, I heard," Grover continued, now that I'm finished. "Those two are really cool. I was talking to Remy yesterday, and he told me the funniest story…" I didn't really listen to the funny story. I was thinking about the scorpion.

The monsters in the forest are usually trained to attack, but never kill. Chiron would always intervene if anything happened. So why was that creature going to stab Remy in the chest with what might as well have been a venomous sword? And that was just one question I had. How did it get so big? Was it the work of another traitor? Was it someone who held a grudge against the gods? Wait a second…traitor…grudge…

Well. It looks like Hermes was wrong.

**OOH! A mystery! Did you find the reference? Well, if you didn't, it's Remy. His last name is Cobb, which is Leo DiCaprio's last name in Inception. Plus, he's a Morpheus dude, and Inception is about dreams! Expect more from him and Lucy, and Merry Christmas! Or if you're an atheist, have a nice day!**


	6. Things Get Interesting: P

**Chapter 6 (Things Get Interesting/P)**

**HOLY DOUBLE UPDATE! With more Percy narration, we may get to the bottom of this conspiracy! GASP! A PLOT!**

**Also, there's a hint as to what the plot might be like…**

Yo. Still Percy. I'm gonna talk for a little while longer, and then give the story back to Aaron and Tori. I think it's going to be a bit of a cycle.

So the night of Capture the Flag, when I checked my Iris-messages (you can do that) I found one from Rachel.

"Hey, Percy!" When she shouted my name, I was right up against the fountain. That earache lasted a while. "I'm coming by tomorrow. Annabeth and Bianca wanted to take those new girls out around New York, and Annabeth asked me to come. Hope I get to see you!" The mist faded.

I was excited to see her. As I said, I've been off living my life without any half-blood leaking in, so I didn't get to see her. I fell onto my bed in cabin 3, excited about her.

Shame tomorrow went nothing like they planned.

*jackson*

As expected, I had a very strange dream. I was in darkness, like when I dreamed about Kronos. But this was different. Above me there was a strange firelight, but it didn't clear the shadows around me. A man, covered in shadow, was standing with his back to me. I didn't see who he was, but I didn't have to. I already knew I hated him.

"Master," a familiar voice hissed behind me. I turned, but the reptilian-sounding woman was hidden as well. "It's almost light. They will be leaving soon."

"I am aware," the Master said. I knew both voices, and neither was my friend. "Are we ready to begin?"

"Nearly," said the woman. "I have selected three monsters that I cannot decide between. If I may, I would ask you to choose."

Off to one side, right on schedule, three monsters entered. I knew them all, especially the first. It was a Chimera, a creature with the head of a fire-breathing lion, the head of a goat sticking out of its scaly back, and a snake for a tail. It wasn't the same as when I fought it a few years back, but I knew what it was.

The second was another one I'd fought. The Hydra, a dinosaur-like monster with multiple heads extending from its long, twisted necks. I'd defeated it the year after the Chimera, on a different quest.

The third I'd known, but I didn't believe they had it. It was a drakon, not a dragon, a drakon. They're different. This drakon was silvery, and I wondered if that affected its powers, like in this one game Aaron told me about, Spyro the Dragon.

The man in the shadows had turned now, and I still couldn't see him. He raised his hand toward me, and out of the darkness he pointed to the drakon. "It's an obvious choice, is it not?"

"Well," the woman hissed, "I'm very proud of them all. The Chimera almost defeated the son of Poseidon."

"Almost, you say," the man growled. "But he's still out there, isn't he? He still lives on, and I know he will oppose us."

"Yes, you've told me before," the woman said, starting to sound scared. "Which is why we're taking precautions."

"He doesn't matter. He'll die before he reaches me anyway. The one I want to focus on is the son of Apollo. He's my target, and I will make sure he becomes a pile of ash."

The voices faded, and I was somewhere else. I saw the girls at the mall, enjoying themselves. Tori and Cat were carrying so many bags, they looked like they were going to collapse. Trina was ordering them around, and Jade (don't know why she was there) was watching, drinking coffee. Annabeth and Rachel were talking (I hoped not about me) and Bianca was off somewhere else. Not far from them, I noticed Robbie there too. He and his puppet thing were just arguing away about something. _Robbie's in danger too! _I thought to myself.

My fears were proved. The drakon tore through the roof, with the shadowy figures on its head. Annabeth and Rachel were caught first. Tori and Jade were smart enough to run. Cat was next to be caught, followed by Trina. Tori dove under a plant, but Jade wasn't fast enough, and she got caught too. Tori looked as though she was anticipating being caught as the hand of the beast shot toward her, but Robbie jumped into the hand instead. They were all placed in a cage attached to its neck. Tori ran for the exit, and the drakon started to reach for me.

And I woke up. I immediately ran outside, shouting for Chiron. It looked like I slept through inspection, as people were already out. I couldn't see the girls, or Robbie, and I was afraid they'd already left.

Chiron galloped up to me, asking "What is the problem, Percy? You slept in so late!"

I was panting, so I couldn't talk much. "Dream…girls…left…mall…trouble…drakon…"

Aaron ran up to me too. "You had a dream, that the girls left for the mall, and there's a drakon?

"Robbie…"

"Robbie's there too? We have to go to the mall!"

Chiron frowned. "I'm disappointed, but not as much as I am confused."

*jackson*

When Aaron and I made it to the mall, it looked safe. Nothing had happened yet, and we had time to find them. They weren't at the place where I'd seen them, and I couldn't see Robbie either. We split up and searched around the mall until we heard screaming.

Running to the place where I saw them in the dream, I quickly noticed the 5 girls and Robbie were in the cage. Bianca attacked with a cleverly hidden sword, but she was stopped when the drakon grabbed her from behind. All 7 of them were now trapped around its neck.

I finally got a good look at the masters of the drakon. I recognized both of them immediately, already knowing who they were. The woman was medium height, Caucasian, very fat. She wasn't wearing any sleeves, so you could clearly see the reptilian scales over her arms. She was smiling evilly, her fangs glinting in the sunlight, and her forked tongue darting between them. Echidna had come back to haunt me once more.

The man I almost didn't recognize. I'd only seen him once before, and he was wearing a tuxedo, with his hair in a ponytail. His chiseled, handsome face kept him looking manly with that long dark hair flowing behind him. He was wearing a full set of Greek armor, but it seemed to pulsate with an evil energy.

Hermes was indeed wrong. Prometheus had shown his handsome face, which hid a cowardly douche behind it.

Prometheus grinned as evilly as Echidna, shouting over the screaming crowds, "Well, son of Apollo. I suppose you know why I'm here."

Aaron scowled with rage. "You've taken my friends, totally blown up this mall. For what?"

"Just a game, I suppose," the Titan chuckled. "Do you want to save your little friends?"

"That depends. Do you want your head on or off your shoulders?"

Prometheus laughed louder at this. "I suppose, if those are my only options, I'll say on."

"Then yes." Aaron ran right for the drakon, his lance appearing in his hand. It was an odd lance. One end of it was an axelike tip, and the other almost like a trident, except there were only two prongs, and they curved into a crabclaw shape.

He slashed the drakon's front leg, which stuck through the damage into the mall. No effect. The drakon blasted him with fire, but he ducked it, and started climbing up, as though he was heading right for Prometheus. I followed him, dodging fire as I dashed.

By the time I arrived at the leg, Aaron had reached the back. I couldn't see him, but I heard the clashing of blades. On an impulse, I decided against helping Aaron, and instead made my way towards the neck of the drakon. Shouting filled the air, and I could barely hear anything over the rumbling of the drakon and the duel atop it.

The cage, I saw, was transparent, but soundproof. I could tell they were all shouting for me, but I couldn't hear any of it. Annabeth was trying to saw her way out with her knife, but nothing happened. Bianca assisted with her Stygian iron sword, but still not a scratch. Clutching Riptide tightly, I attacked the cage with my hand that wasn't holding on for dear life.

More swords clashed above me as I worked on the chain. Riptide still did nothing to it. I couldn't even break the locks. Hoping I wouldn't be too late, I went against my decision, and climbed up to the head. The drakon itself was armored, and as such I wasn't able to do much against it.

Looking at the duel, I saw it wasn't swords that were clashing. It was lance-on-scales, as Aaron was fighting Echidna. Aaron was panting hard, and Echidna was almost on her knees. I yelled for Aaron. "I'll take over, you use your flare gun to break that cage!" It looked as though we were about to free our friends.

But no such thing happened. The drakon just suddenly disappeared, carrying Prometheus, Echidna, and the cage with it. Aaron and I fell to the hard, concrete ground. I stood up, but Aaron just sat there, kneeling in front of the hole in the wall, pounding the hard ground.

"PROMETHEUS!"

*jackson*

We slowly made our way back to camp. We finally got back around lunchtime, and Chiron was sad to see we didn't bring the girls (and Robbie) with us. After lunch, I filled him in on my dream, and what exactly happened.

Chiron sighed. "Indeed, I was also hoping we wouldn't be hearing from Prometheus for a long time. But obviously he has some sort of scheme ready, and it involves Aaron."

"Wait," I stopped him. "Where's Tori?"

"She arrived safely, but chose to stay in her cabin for now. Aaron is probably with her now." I gave a huge sigh of relief. Aaron wouldn't be right if he lost an Apollo half-blood, especially her.

"No, I'm not, actually." Aaron walked toward us, with a half-angry, half-distraught look on his face. "And I think…I just got a prophecy." I stood up at this. "Yes, really." He stopped me before I could ask him.

"What is it?"

He closed his eyes, and his voice turned scary, almost like a scary old guy in a horror movie.

_Three heroes shall cross through deadly rains_

_A treacherous sleep shall enslave their brains_

_The traitor thought lost shall return once more_

_The six lost maidens face doom before_

_The blood of the remnant spilt once and again_

_The final decision of Titansbane_

The horror voice passed, but I still felt that terrifying chill from the prophecy. "Well," I asked, fear in my voice, "what're you going to do?"

"Obviously this prophecy is about me. It was revealed to me, spoken through me, and even mentions me. I don't know who this remnant is, but I guess I'm a kind of remnant…but my blood can't be spilt. The traitor…he won't be much of a threat. Deadly rain? No idea what that could be. Treacherous sleep…I guess we'll find it all out as we go."

Chiron stood. "That's half of the journey, deciphering your prophecy. Now, choose your two heroes."

Aaron looked right at me. "I don't even have to say who's number 1." I knew he was thinking exactly what I was thinking. Annabeth and Rachel. Both of them, stuck wherever they were, for no reason. I had to help them. "As for my other assistant…"

"I'm going," said a small voice behind Aaron. I didn't believe what I was seeing.

Tori was volunteering for a quest. Likely for the same reason I was, because her friends, her family were in trouble.

Aaron adamantly refused. "No. I will not have you risking your life yet. You just got here. You're not ready."

"Actually," I chimed in, "she is excellent with a bow, and not too shabby with a sword." Tori smiled to that. "She'd be valuable."

Aaron still looked hesitant, but he sighed and nodded. "You're in." She clapped for a second, then hurried off to get herself a weapon.

"We leave immediately," Aaron called after her. "Get packing!"

**Hooray for a plot! Even if it has that douche Prometheus… MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A CHEESE FILLED CHRISTMAS DINNER!**


End file.
